Houston-area congressman ding NASA for delays

Two Houston-area Republicans known as vigorous advocates for NASA’s Johnson Space Center are demanding that NASA administrator Charles Bolden comply with congressional instructions to build a post-shuttle spacecraft capable of delivering U.S. astronauts to the orbiting space station by 2016.

Reps. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, whose district includes JSC, and John Culberson, R-Houston, a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, are joining forces with House GOP colleagues to demand that the Obama administration stop slow walking a government-built spacecraft to succeed the retiring shuttle fleet.

The lawmakers are accusing the Obama administration of “purposely circumventing the will of Congress” by “not making NASA’s human spaceflight program a priority in its budget requests to Congress.”

With the retirement of the shuttle fleet next month, U.S. astronauts will be relying on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to ferry crew and cargo to the U.S.-build $100 billion International Space Station until NASA completes a post-shuttle spacecraft or until U.S. commercial companies build cargo delivery and crew delivery systems that meet NASA’s standards.

The lawmakers told Bolden, a former astronaut and retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, to “stop studying and re-studying” NASA’s plans for a post-shuttle spacecraft and immediately report to Congress on the roadmap ahead.

NASA is at least four months late in reporting on its plans to Congress, the lawmakers told Bolden in a letter that also was delivered to the White House.

Decisions have been delayed over the next generation of spacecraft using a heavy lift rocket topped by a crew capsule, the lawmakers said.

“This situation is irresponsible, objectionable and incompliant with the law,” the lawmakers said. “The lack of prudent and responsive action to clear congressional direction is unacceptable for the agency. We respectfully request that you comply with the law and provide the requisite report to Congress on NASA’s plans.”

The letter by seven GOP House members also was signed by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio; two House members representing the Kennedy Space Center area in Florida, and lawmakers representing the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and Utah, where solid rocket engines are built.